OPINION: ChromeOS 103 is now out there, making Chromebook units extra built-in than ever with Android telephones. However a number of the options might already be acquainted to any iPhone house owners on the market.
As a longstanding iPhone person myself, I can admit that Apple does have its flaws; from overpriced Lighting adaptors to the weird naming decisions of the M1 sequence of processors, there are some nagging points that almost all Apple customers confess to.
Nonetheless, a reasonably undisputed declare concerning the firm is that it is aware of the right way to combine its merchandise, with just about all units – together with the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac ranges – being designed to work in tandem.
The identical cannot at all times be mentioned, nonetheless, for the telephones on the opposite facet of the pond. Whereas Android telephones might be implausible units – try our finest checklist of Android telephones to see which of them we like finest – they’re normally not as seamless with regards to integration.
It appears that evidently Google is conscious of this difficulty, as the discharge of ChromeOS 103 appears to be taking a few pages from Apple’s playbook, with new options permitting Android handsets to work a lot better with Chromebook units.
One such function is the assist for Wi-Fi sharing, as Android will now be capable to share passwords to Chromebooks through Close by Share from the Wi-Fi settings within the cellphone. Apple launched this function in iOS 11 in 2017, and I’ve by no means met an Apple person who doesn’t fawn over how easy it’s to share a password on the contact of a button.
Close by Share isn’t too totally different from Apple’s personal AirDrop, permitting customers to share pictures and recordsdata through Wi-Fi, moderately than having to attach them by bodily cables or by one other service, like e-mail.
One other new function that shall be rolling out in the summertime is Quick Pair, which can permit customers to pair Bluetooth earbuds with their Chromebook by a easy button faucet. This can be acquainted to any AirPod house owners, as customers solely must open their AirPods close to their iPhone to configure a connection, avoiding the necessity to run by your iPhone settings in the hunt for a brand new Bluetooth machine.
And that’s to not say that these new options should not welcome, and Apple actually doesn’t personal the suitable to speedy Bluetooth connections, but it surely’s clear that Google has had a least somewhat inspiration from the iPhone’s huge function library.
The shortage of integration between Android telephones and non-Apple computer systems can be as a result of the truth that Android spans greater than only one firm, with the likes of Google, Samsung and Oppo all falling into the Android class. The range in corporations is sure to make it more durable to create the identical seamless operation Apple has managed to attain, and it’s good to see Google trying to make it simpler for shoppers to make use of a Samsung cellphone with a Chromebook as if it was one machine, not two.
Extra options shall be coming over the subsequent few months, and I do hope that it creates an improved expertise for extra customers. Nonetheless, evidently Google, and different Android corporations, could also be following within the footsteps of Apple for a very long time in the event that they ever wish to obtain that very same stage of seamless integration that retains so many individuals trapped within the Apple bubble.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete is our weekly computing-focussed opinion column the place we delve deeper into the world of computer systems, laptops, parts, peripherals and extra. Discover it on Trusted Evaluations each Saturday afternoon.
